Five Nights at Freddy's: Grand Reopening
by KevinFred co
Summary: After being fired, Mike Schmidt thought he was done with Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. But, three years later, he receives a phone call from the general manager of the newly remodeled and soon to be reopened pizzeria. The manager has sought him out to take over the night shift again, working Monday through Friday. Mike is back for another five nights...
1. Schmidt's Return

Five Nights at Freddy's

Grand Re-Opening

"Oh, hey! Hello!" The man in the suit cried, eagerly walking over. "You must be him!"

Michael Schmidt was taken aback as his hand was taken and shook vigorously. This was not something he had been expecting. Then again, he never expected, nor really wanted, to ever be back here again: Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. He'd worked here three years ago. His employment had been, mercifully, brief, lasting only seven days. Not long at all, but they were the only days of his life that he had a "do-not discuss" rule about, and ever since he'd done his best to forget them. Now, here he was again, standing in front of the Pizzeria, shaking some happy sappy fruitcake's hand.

"Uh, yeah..." Mike replied, the surprise showing. "I'm Michael Schmidt..."

"Do I detect disbelief?" The man asked.

"A little bit, yeah," Schmidt nodded. "Considering the company fired me, the last thing I expected was a handshake and the welcome back wagon."

"Well, the previous management is gone now," The man smiled broadly. "There's been a lot of changes since you were here last, Mr. Schmidt. And one of them is me."

"And you are...?"

"Scott Cawthon!" The man said, proudly. "I'm the new General Manager of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! Where food and fun are our specialty!"

"So long as you're not here after midnight," Mike replied, simply. He didn't want to hear any cheesy slogans or company BS.

Mr. Cawthon winced visibly, his smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, well...uh, we can talk more when we get to my office, son. But, first! Allow me to show you around!"

"If it's all the same to you, Mr. Cawthon," Michael said. "I'd rather we just go ahead and talk. I remember the place pretty well." How on Earth could he forget?

"What you remember is the old Freddy Fazbear's Pizza." Cawthon smiled. "What I want to show you is the new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! Come inside with me!"

The two of them went in, Mike's stomach turning as they did.

But right away, he saw what Mr. Cawthon was talking about, and could even understand why the man seemed way too proud. They walked past the Host Podium, Mr. Cawthon opening the ropes for Michael, and then past the Concession Stand, with its shining, cleaned counters, the new registers lined up for families to order Freddy's famous pizza. The floors had been vigorously polished, the walls repainted, and the ceiling repaired. Not a cobweb, section of faded paint, or hanging wires in sight. Cawthon had been right. Mike almost didn't recognize the place. The run-down pizzeria that he knew had received quite the make over.

"Speechless, Mr. Schmidt?" The GM said, proudly. "It's a pretty big change, considering the state of it when I took over. Nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix though. Now it's a proper place for families to eat and have fun again! Just like when it first opened!"

"Yeah," Mike said. He actually did agree. "It almost makes you forget the five kids that were killed here..."

Cawthon laughed nervously. "Quite the joker you are, Mr. Schmidt."

"...not to mention that bite in '87..."

"That's all in the past now," Cawthon said quickly, his smile quivering. "No need to dwell in the past when there's the future to look forward to. That's what all this work has been about. Cleaning up the past and working towards the future. When we reopen tomorrow, I want everyone who comes here to leave full of pizza and fun and great family memories!"

"Then why are you bringing me, of all people, back, Mr. Cawthon?"

"When we get to my office," The GM replied quickly. He motioned ahead with a grand sweep of his arm. "For now, it's time you see the new heart of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza!"

They had reached the main Dining Area, where workers were still cleaning floors and adjusting lights. Surprisingly, it didn't look that different. If anything, it was brighter, more clean than it had been three years ago, having been the only room that had been properly maintained back then. The tables and chairs were lined up neatly, with new party hats sitting in rows on the tables. Vibrant colors and wacky patterns had been painted on the walls, with silly pictures of Freddy Fazbear and friends, Bonnie and Chica. One picture depicted the three characters seated at a table, whimsically eating pizza. Another showed them jamming on their instruments. Even Foxy got a painting, one depicting him captaining his comically small pirate ship. Strobe lights and other such fixtures had been displayed on the ceiling, ready to add effect to Freddy's undoubtedly newer and more trendy songs. Gotta keep up with kids today, after all.

At the end of the room was the Show Stage. Upon it, in their proper places for now, were the characters themselves. Freddy Fazbear, naturally, was up front, with Bonnie the Bunny flanking his right, and Chica the Chicken his right. Like the Dining Area itself, they didn't look too different, except for somethings. Freddy himself had a new hat and bowtie. Bonnie's guitar was brand new and gleamed brilliantly in the new stages lights above. Chica looked largely the same, donning the same bib (LET'S EAT!) that she always wore, but her cupcake was now multicolored and had a light inside, sending off an array of colors every which way. And each of them had a brighter, more vibrant appearance, their suits having been repainted and refurbished. They looked merry and ready to rock out for the kids.

"There they are!" Cawthon said proudly. "The great Fazbear Trio; Fredddy Fazbear, and, of course, Bonnie the Bunny on guitar, and Chica on back-up vocals. We got them a new stage for them and added lights to their show. New generations will cheer with joy while older, returning kids will be dazzled by what the new performance that their favorite characters have in store for them! A treat for all ages!"

"Yeah..." That was all Mike could say at the moment. He was looking at Freddy Fazbear, the slow laugh he used to hear ringing in his ear. His eyes drifted to Bonnie next, and then to Chica. They were staring blankly at the wall behind him, frozen in place at the moment. The Three Musketeers of Death, you could say. Well...not just the three of them, of course...

He turned his gaze towards the left side of the room, expecting to see a curtain, but instead saw a rocky cave stage set instead. It looked like a cave you'd see on a small island, a few seashells lining the ground, and even a hand made, life size seagull dummy to add to the effect.

"Hey..." Mike asked, curious. "Is that...?"

"Yep!" Mr. Cawthon replied. "We even managed to get Pirate Cove back online! That thing was out of order for so long, I bet almost everyone forgot about it! It'll almost seem like a whole new feature to the show!"

"And I guess Foxy's..." Schmidt began and then drifted off.

"He's up and running too, that's right!" Cawthon was practically glowing. "Here, let me..."

He stopped speaking, walking over towards one of the workers. When he returned, he was carrying a flashlight. He turned it on and shined it inside the Cove. Whether on purpose or by sheer coincidence, the light hit right on Foxy's eyes as he stared back at them from within the darkness. Cawthon jumped slightly.

"Oho! There he is!" He said, a hand at his chest. "Always the sneaky pirate, that Foxy."

You have no idea, Mike thought.

To his credit, Foxy looked much better than he had three years ago. His suit was no longer cracked and old, and his jaw had been fixed and was actually closed. Even more, he was actually dressed like a pirate, sporting a red pirate coat, some frilly pirate tunic under that, and even some slacks. His hook had been polished and gleamed in the flashlight's beam and his eye patch currently covered his right eye. It was weird seeing him look so pristine. In fact, it was weird seeing Pirate Cove at all. The place had always been covered in a curtain and in darkness when he had worked here last, never giving him a clear look at it.

"Was Pirate Cove always that big?" Schmidt asked, as Cawthon shut off the flashlight.

"Oh no!" The GM replied. "It was puny when we got started. We added a fair amount to it to make it look more like a Pirate's cove, you know. It's still small compared to the Show Stage. It's simple, but still magical, don't you think?"

"Not really, no," Mike shook his head.

"Oh come now," Cawthon replied teasingly. "You surely have to feel some magic in the air, right?"

"No," Schmidt said. "The only thing I feel is a dire need to make watch my back so Freddy doesn't sneak up on me and stuff me in a..."

"Okay, okay, none of that," Cawthon said quickly, immediately looking nervous again as he walked over to return the flashlight. As he did, Mike glanced over at the Show Stage. They were looking at him now. All three of them.

When Cawthon came back he was beginning to sweat. "Let's not worry about that now. There's still much to show you, and..."

"I really don't want to see anymore, Mr. Cawthon," Michael Schmidt replied. "In fact, I don't want to talk at all here. They're listening."

Cawthon paused, looking at Schmidt nervously. He then slowly turned to look at the Show Stage. Fazbear and the rest were now staring blankly at the wall again. The GM then turned back and when he spoke again, he spoke softly. "Alright...this way..."

They went down the West Hallway and made a right. Past the Supply Closet there was a new door. Etched on it was "Scott Cawthon: General Manager". Inside was a humble office, with a desk and two chairs in front of it. The GM offered Mike a seat and then, instead of sitting in the comfy chair behind the desk, sat down in the opposite chair in front of Mike. He reached into his pocket and brought out a small handkerchief, and mopped his brow.

"I'll get right to it then, Mr. Schmidt," He said, still seeming nervous. "I want you back on the night shift."

It was finally out.

"Why?" Mike asked. "I thought everything was new and improved. That all that bad things were in the past."

"They are," Mr. Cawthon replied. "At least as far as the public is concerned. And so long as it stays that way, this place will flourish like it did so long ago. The problem is that old problems are trying to resurface. And that's where you come in, son."

"They're still 'wandering' at night?"

"I've tried everything to stop it," Scott Cawthon sighed, trembling. "The technicians say there's nothing wrong with them. They say the same things they said to the old owner; keep them on at night so their servos don't lock up. I tried to have them reprogrammed, but one of them caught one of the technicians off guard and..."

"Wait, they've ALREADY killed someone?" Schmidt asked, stunned.

"Nonono!" The GM immediately waved this away. "He was a little late going home, and he said one of them was missing from the Stage as he was leaving. He heard a bang from the kitchen and he took off."

"Chica must have been hungry..." Mike said lowly.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

"I love kids, Mr. Schmidt," Cawthon said. "And the kids love Freddy Fazbear. I couldn't stand to see this place go under those three years ago. And I would hate for it to happen again. So, I can't allow anything bad to happen. I can't get the characters to stay where they are, so I'm forced to apply the same method of dealing with the problem as the old management..."

"Get some poor saps to watch over them..."

"I read the reports about you that were left over." The GM said, ignoring the comment. "I don't blame you for what you did...even if it didn't work."

Mike scoffed. That was laying it on very mildly. The last night had been absolute hell. He'd tried to stop Freddy and his stupid friends. Tried to turn them off. Instead, he'd only made them even more active.

"Had I been in your shoes, I would have done the same," Cawthon went on. "But because you, as of now, are one of the very few guards to have worked a full week at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and come out unscathed. The fact that you managed to make it through that last night alone makes you the most qualified for this job."

"Yeah, I'll bet..."

"Do you have another job currently, Mr. Schmidt?" Scott asked.

"If I did, you can bet I wouldn't be here..." Mike replied. "But I have to pay off my student loans, and I can't seem to land a job anywhere. Anywhere but this hellhole..." He scoffed again. "A hundred and twenty fucking dollars. I spent it fixing my car."

"You'll get more this time around, I guarantee it." Cawthon must have been waiting for a comment like that, because he leaped on it immediately. "You'll be getting at least three hundred a week."

"That's still not enough," Mike grumbled. "How about you watch over Freddy and them for one night and then we'll discuss my pay, huh?"

"I'll try to get you more as time progresses," The GM replied, quickly. He sounded slightly desperate. "But I just can't afford it now. A lot of effort and resources went into the remodeling..."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Does that mean you'll take the job?"

Michael Schmidt paused. He had walked into that one. Did he want the job? Did anybody in their right mind want this job? No. Absolutely not. But damn it! Did he need the money. Even the measly two hundred and twenty sounded fine right now. He hadn't found work since being fired. He'd tried all throughout college to find other work, knowing that his loan payments were right around the corner. Now, he was approaching his senior year and the payments had come. Other bills would follow, and if he didn't start seeing some money, things were going to take a drastic turn for the worst. He couldn't bring himself to move back in with his parents (that somehow seemed almost as bad as being stuffed in a Freddy suit), and nobody else had the space for him. At this point, it was either life on the streets...or Freddy.

"You haven't asked anyone else?" Mike asked.

"I can't ask anyone else." Cawthon replied, softly. "Those characters are soul of this place. If the wrong people find out about their dark secrets, we'll go out of business...again. You know what they do, and you have dealt with them already."

"I'm not going to come here and watch those insane robots every day," Schmidt said. "You couldn't pay me enough for that. I'm not doing all seven nights again."

"You won't have to." The GM said. "We have another night watchman who will work weekends. His name's Kevin. He's good. No accidents so far. But he's wanting only weekends. I need someone else for Monday through Friday. You worked a full seven days. Only one other person besides you two have made it that long, and, well..."

Mike was still as he remembered the previous guard before him. He'd never actually figured out how long he'd been working in the Security Office, but the last message he'd gotten from him suggested that things hadn't gone so well for him in the end. He'd put it best: It'd been a bad night...

"Why does this Kevin guy only want weekends as opposed to just quitting?" Mike asked.

"Well, he has other work..."

"And he still works here!?" Schmidt was stunned. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Cawthon replied. "Perhaps you can ask him yourself. He's here, over at the Security Office."

"What for?" Schmidt checked his watch. "He was due off three hours ago."

"I asked him to stay so that you two could meet and exchange contact information." The GM said.

"I haven't said yes to anything."

"No you haven't," Scott agreed. "So I'll ask you again...will you take the job?"

"You're damn lucky that I need the money..." Mike grumbled.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah..." Mike sighed. "But, the instant I find work else where, I'm quitting. On the spot. Do you hear me? On. The. Spot."

"I hear you, Mr. Schmidt." Mr. Cawthon nodded. "We'll keep the applications we've received on file then." He stood up. "Now, let's go to the Office, shall we?"

It was a short walk. Out the door, right, ten steps, a left, and they were there.

In stark contrast to the rest of the building, this room remained completely unchanged. The posters still hung, the monitor was still there, there were still power cords hanging around all over, and the big metal doors were still ready to block bloodthirsty characters. Even the damn fan was still right where it had been three years ago, seemingly untouched by both man and time. It was currently running, a small breeze touched Mike's face as he entered. Suddenly, he had flashbacks to the many moments that he'd spent trying to shut it off while trying to check the monitors. Power was big issue back then...

Seated at the desk was a young adult male, maybe the same age as Mike himself, perhaps a little older, with red, messy and curly hair, with sunglasses tucked into the V of his shirt. When Cawthon and Schmidt walked in, he simply turned in the swivel chair towards them.

"Hello, Kevin," Cawthon said. "Thanks for staying."

"You the new guy?" Kevin asked, looking at Mike. "Mike Schmidt?"

"That's me..."

The red head held up a folded piece of paper. "This is my phone number. Don't lose it, and don't abuse it. And I hope you're not gonna be dumb enough to call me while I'm on duty here, right?"

"I think you'd be a little too busy for that," Mike replied.

"How were things last night, Kevin?" Cawthon asked, lowly. "Any problems?"

"Of course there were problems," Kevin scoffed. "This whole fucking place is a problem. I don't understand why you don't just let the place die, and let Freddy Fazbear and his demon friends rot in Hell where they belong."

"But the children love Freddy Fazbear and his buddies, Kevin!" Cawthon said, smiling, for a brief moment he returned to his cheery self.

"Easy fix." Kevin shrugged. "Let them stay here overnight. Trust me, they'll get over him fast. Real fast."

Cawthon was quiet.

"What time do you start, Mike?" Kevin asked.

"I don't know yet..."

"You didn't tell him that yet?" The red head asked his boss.

"No, I hadn't...I wanted him to meet you first," Cawthon sighed. "Mr. Schmidt, could I ask you to start tonight?"

"Tonight!?" Mike cried. He was walking into Hell way too fast. "You're kidding."

"If you don't start tonight, then there won't be anyone here to keep an eye on the characters," The GM explained.

"So you're just gonna dump this on me like that?"

"I know it's short notice..." Scott said. "So, I'll tell you what...I'll give you holiday pay for tonight. More money in your pocket. Only tonight, I'm afraid, I just can't afford any more than that."

"God damn it..." Mike grumbled.

"Will you d..." Cawthon began.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be here." Schmidt cut him off quickly. A great feeling of dread came over him. Earlier, there had at least been the thought that he'd at least have one more night before having to step back into this place. But now that'd been taken away from him. Damn it, did being so poor suck!

"Excellent!" The GM was relieved. "Well, I guess all that's left is to say welcome back! As an employee here, you get certain benefits. Since you're here on the nigh shift, you already get additional pay, but you'll also get a discount on food items at the Concession Stand, and also a staff card for games at the arcade! Some good things there for you to..."

"Arcade?" Mike asked. "There's an arcade now?"

"Oh, right!" Cawthon said. "We didn't get there on our tour! Yes, we added to the building. On the wall opposite from Pirate Cove, there's a hall that leads to Fazbear Fun Center!" Mike rolled his eyes, but Scott didn't notice. "No sense in walking all the way there now. Kevin, why don't you be a sport and bring it up on the monitor, so Mike here can see it."

"Sure thing," Kevin said. He pushed the button that was marked "CAM8B" and an overview shot of a medium sized arcade came on the screen. There was Whack-A-Mole, shooter games, pinball machines, and airhockey tables. Not too bad, actually, which was surprising since this was the same building that had originally had a power limit due to budget cuts. Some way or another, Mr. Cawthon must have found a way to bring some money into the...

"Wait a minute!" Mike cried, reaching over Kevin and jabbing a finger at the monitor hard enough that it shuddered. "Who is that? Who is that right there!?"

CAM8B was stationed above the arcade, already inside. It panned to the left towards the entrance, and just as it reached the full length of its panning, something had appeared. Some sort of mini-stage, not unlike Pirate Cove, and something had been standing on it. Mike looked at the buttons and saw on that was marked CAM8A and pressed it. This time, the view was right at the entrance of the Funcenter. Right next to the entrance was indeed a mini-stage. The base was designed to resembled a meteor and the backdrop was fitted light up planets and stars. Standing in the center of the stage was a teenaged, female, human animatronic, with long purple hair, dressed in a dark blue space suit and holding what appeared to be some sort of space rifle in her hands.

Another character.

"Who is that!?" Mike cried again. "Who is that!? Why is she there!?

"Her?" Cawthon replied, having stepped back from Mike. "Why that's Arella, the Captian of the Kid's Space Expedition."

"Okay, what the hell?" Mike asked, turning towards Scott. "It was already sort of strange that Freddy had a buddy who's a fucking pirate, but now he's got some weirdo from Outer Space!? And why is she human!? Why did you need another fucking character!?"

"She's doesn't belong Fazbear Entertainment," Scott explained. "She's a promotional character. She sponsors another company. We're being paid to host her here. She puts on a little show for the kids, and then talks advertises another building. The company she's from specializes in arcades, they have buildings dedicated to them. They invested in our arcade, and, in return, we sponsor them."

"Great...just great..." Schmidt muttered. "Another one. It was bad enough with four of them! What am I..."

A loud, nasal ringing sounded.

"Oh! That's me!" Cawthon spoke up, immediately digging into his pockets. He pulled out his cellphone and looked at the screen. "Ah! I need to take this! Uh, thanks so much for taking the job, Mr. Schmidt, you're a life saver! If I don't see you later, have a great shift! Can you find your way out."

"But I...!" Mike tried. Then he gave up. What was the use? "Yeah, I can."

"Great! Good luck!" And with that, Scott Cawthon was gone, his footsteps hurrying down the hall as he spoke on the phone.

Mike turned back to Kevin, who had gotten up and was picking up his jacket.

"Wait where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" Kevin replied. "I'm going home."

"But...! Wait! I need you to tell me what's up with Freddy and the others!"

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, continuing to gather his belongings. "I thought you've done this before..."

"Three years ago!" Schmidt replied. "That was then and this is now!"

"Well, if you did it then, you should be able to do it now, right?" Kevin slipped on his sunglasses. "Look, dude, I've got shit to do. If you absolutely need me to, I'll call you when you start. Don't bother trying to pick up, cause they take the receiver off the hook at night. Gotta conserve power, ya know."

"Still!?" Mike cried.

"Yep." Kevin said. "Funny thing about this place: a lot has changed, but nothing's really changed." He glanced at his watch. "Gotta go. See ya."

He turned and left the Office, leaving Michael Schmidt alone. The reinstated security guard looked at the monitor and then looked at the "Celebrate" poster on the wall, which showed Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica as they had been three years ago. Then, he left the Office, and slowly walked down the hall. He pushed walked into the Dining Area, wondering just how in the hell he had ended up back here. He'd gotten the call from Scott just last night. Before that he would have never suspected that he'd ever walk back into this place. Is this what he was willing to do to avoid living in shame with his parents? God damn, being poor really fucking SUCKED!

It escaped his attention that the workers had, for the moment, vacated the Dining Area. At least until he turned to head down the entrance hall...and a familiar music box tune began playing. Michael Schmidt turned and faced the Show Stage. All three of them were staring at him. All three of them were missing their eyes. Freddy's whole body light up as his gay song filled the room.

It's me, Mike thought.

"Da da dum dum dum dum, dum dum dum diddly doom doom doom, diddly doom." A voice sung. Mike turned towards the sound. Foxy had come out of his Cove and was waving his hook up and down, his jaw opening in closing in a biting motion. "Dum dum diddly dum dum dum dum diddly dum dum dum dum dum."

Poking out of the darkness of the Cove was a small rectangular sign. On it was the text: Sorry! Out of Order!

A small creaking sound drew Mike's attention. The Employee Only door had been pulled open. One of the spare Endoskeletals was peeking its head out the door, its bright red eyes glaring from across the room.

Michael Schmidt stared back, his eyes going form each of them. They stopped finally at Freddy Fazbear. For a moment, nothing at all happened. Then, Fazbear himself moved right before Schmidt's eyes. He reached up and took hold of his new hat and took it off and held it up in a cinematic tip.

Mike stood where he was for a moment.

Then, he turned and left the Dining Area.


	2. The First Night

At 9PM, the first day of the grand reopening of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza ended. Many children in town, their families along with them, relived the joy of the Pizzeria's old days. Bonnie rocked on his guitar, while Chica and Freddy sang in harmony. Foxy then sang about his journeys across the seven seas. His material was more adult oriented, giving the parents something to chuckle about, but still had some magic in it for the kids. Across the building kids won tickets and prizes at the new arcade. While they were there, they also stopped to see the new character, Arella, firing her Space Blaster, which performed a brilliant light display. She would then offer the kids a chance to go on their very own space journey at another building. Pamphlets, which sat on a decorated podium near here, were collected, and kids began begging their parents to take them on a future date.

At 9:30PM, the building was mostly empty, except for the cleaners. Scott Cawthon had gone home for the night.

At 11:45, Michael Schmidt arrived, wearing a hoodie over his old Freddy Fazbear uniform. He relieved the janitors and then locked the doors.

At 12AM, the night watch began...

The first thing he did was bring up the Show Stage on the camera. All three of them were there, staring blankly ahead at the far end of the Dining Area before them. He then flipped over to Pirate Cove. Nothing happening there. Then, he went to CAM8A, the arcade. Arella stood vigilantly on her stage. She was definitely an oddity, as she was the only human animatronic, making her not fit in well, in Schmidt's opinion. In terms of design, she seemed more modern than Freddy and his gang, looking very much like a real teenaged girl. If it wasn't for the wide, artificial smile on her lips, she'd almost look normal.

Riiiiiing! The telephone came to life. Riiiiiing!

Mike didn't bother trying to pick it up, remembering what Kevin had said. Eventually, the answering machine got it and then...

"Hey dude. It's me...Kevin," The red head's bored voice came on. "Okay, look, so...I don't know how things were when you were here, but I've been watching those creeps for two weeks now. So, technically, I've got seniority over you, so you better be listening. And, I hope you're keeping an eye on those cameras while I'm talking. You know why..."

Yeah, yeah, Mike thought. He flipped back to the Show Stage. All three of them were still there, lifelessly staring at nothing.

"But anyway," Kevin's voice continued. "You probably know the basics. You got your doors, your lights, and, of course, the power meter. Don't let it run out, blah blah blah, or you'll get stuffed into a suit, yadda yadda, only use the doors when totally necessary, etc, etc, etc. Just keep an eye on your cameras, and you should be fine. It helps to have fast reflexes too, but I bet you already knew that..." He cleared his throat. "Now, for the most part, the ones you'll want to watch out for the most are Bonnie and Chica. They tend to be more active than everyone else. Bonnie's not too bad, but he tends to poke his head in the door more. Chica's kind of a wild card, though. Some times she's not active at all, and other times it's like she's on her robot period, cause she'll suddenly start showing up more, or hanging around like right down the hall from you. Just keep an eye on both of them. Listening for them helps. They're big and heavy metal bots, so they're not very good at sneaking...well, except for Freddy of course. I'll get to him in a second, cause he's less active than the others. At least for now..."

"Foxy's even more spastic." Kevin went on. "He usually sits in his stupid cave, singing his stupid song, but ever now and then...without warning...he'll just up and kamikaze right towards you."

Mike felt his muscles tense. Immediately, he switched to Pirate's Cove. Nothing. He went to CAM2A. No charging Foxy there. Door light! He jumped up and pressed the button. Nothing out in the hall. Not yet.

"I don't know what his deal is." Kevin said, simply. "The good news is that I've secretly placed a motion sensor on the Cove. You'll hear a beeping noise when Foxy starts moving. The beeping gets faster the closer he gets to it. If it's beeping real fast, that means he's run past it, and you probably know how quick that fucker is. Move your ass is all the advice I have."

Despite it all, Mike felt a sense of relief. At least there was warning after all. Not much, for he did know how fast Foxy could be, but it was something. He flipped back to the Show Stage. All three of them stared at him.

"Now, again, he doesn't move that much," The red head said. "But when he does, Freddy tends to move either down the West or East Hall towards you. If you watch him, you'll keep him away. I guess he's not satisfied unless he manages to get the jump on you, I don't know. The problem with him is one minute you have him sight, the next minute he's just gone. He'll usually reappear somewhere else, like in the opposite hall. But, you need to find him fast because he's coming. He'll come right in if you're not quick. I'm telling you, I've had some close calls with that fat fuck, so when he moves from the Stage, make sure you've got an eye trained on him almost at all times."

A pause.

"That should be everything you need to know for now." Kevin concluded. "I can't call you again tonight, since it's against the rules. Don't know how active they'll all be tonight, so I'll shut up and leave you to it. If you're not stuffed in a suit by tomorrow, I'll talk to you later. Peace."

He hung up.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence..." Mike muttered. Freddy and his buddies were still staring. He stared back for a moment, then quickly flicked the camera back to Pirate Cove. Nothing going on there, so it seemed. Mike hoped that Kevin's sensors worked. Otherwise, Foxy would be even more difficult than he'd been previously. He flicked back to the Show Stage. All three of them were still there. They weren't looking at him now, but, interestingly, they had changed positions. Chica was now at the head of the trio, with Bonnie flanking her left, and Freddy (now closest to the camera), flanking her right. Mike had never seen them do that before. He wasn't sure what they intended to convey, if anything, with that move, but there it was.

_Beep...Beep...Beep_, went a slow, but harsh sound.

Without searching for the source, Mike immediately flicked back to Pirate Cove. Foxy was peeking out of the darkness of the cave, staring up towards the camera, only his glowing eyes visible from within.

"No you don't..." Schmidt said through gritted teeth. He turned the swivel chair towards the right door, ready to leap up and press the Door button... "Don't you dare..."

A low, heavy thud echoed through the building. He flicked back to the Show Stage. Bonnie was missing.

And so it begins.

He brought up the Dining Area. No Bonnie. Backstage. No Bonnie. The Supply Closet, the West Hall, the Corner. No Bonnie.

"Fuck!" Mike hissed. "Where'd he go?"

He brought up the Restrooms. The rabbit was standing in the hallway, in front of the doorway to the Men's Room. As per usual, he'd put down his guitar somewhere. Bonnie hadn't usually used the East Hall previously. That was usually Chica's preferred path. But, that was then and this is now. This was the new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Everything had changed, and that included Freddy and his friends.

The beeping had stopped. Flicking back to Pirate Cove, Foxy's eyes were gone. Had he ran out? The sensor had gone off, but had he jumped over it or something? Had it somehow missed him. Mike got up and hit the left Light button. Nothing in the hall. He checked the right Light. Nothing out there either. He brought the Restrooms back up. Bonnie was still there, hadn't moved an inch. Mike checked the Show Stage and was greeted by a full view of Freddy's face staring with empty eyes staring at him, inches from the lens. He was going to have to assume Chica was gone.

The Dining Area was empty, but the yellow chicken was standing Back Stage staring at the camera with her mouth hung open. He flicked back the Restrooms. Bonnie was still there. He flicked to Pirate Cove. Nothing happening there. He went back to Chica. She hadn't moved, but now one of the spare Endoskeletons had raised its head to stare into the camera as well.

_They'll most likely see as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on..._

_ Now, since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...uh...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit..._

"Go force him into a suit, you dumb chicken," Mike hissed at Chica, while looking at the Endoskeleton. "He's not wearing one..."

Freddy had withdrawn from the camera and was now standing in his original position, staring blankly ahead towards the Dining Area. Bonnie had taken a step, and was now closer to the Restrooms, and Pirate Cove was still quiet. It was 1:23AM currently. The power was at 88 percent. Not bad. He hadn't had to close the doors either. That was good. Those doors used more power than anything else in the room. Now if he could just figure out how to turn off that damn fan, he'd be sitting pretty well. For the hundreth time, he fiddled with it and its buttons, but nothing seemed to make it stop. Damn that thing.

Foxy began singing his theme song, his voice carrying across the building. Checking the Cove showed nothing important. Bonnie and Chica hadn't moved, and neither had Freddy. Flicking through the buttons on the monitor, he saw one marked CAM9. Pressing it, he saw an overview of the registers of the Concession Stand. Another button, CAM10, he saw a new door. It was down a hallway down aways from the Concession Stand, he could just see the Host Podium as the camera panned to the left. On the new door was the word "Electrical Room". That was probably where the generator was, along with the fuse boxes for all the mechanics in the building. Nothing was going on there, which was a good thing. Another button,

Footsteps.

He flicked through the cameras. Bonnie and Chica were both in the Dining Area now, the former coming from the the former coming from the East side, the other coming from the West. They were facing each other, but they were both staring at the camera.

_Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep_

"Shit!" Mike swore, flicking to the Pirate Cove.

Foxy was standing at the opening of the Cove, now partially visible. He actually wasn't staring at the camera, but was instead glancing off towards where Bonnie and Chica were standing, his head tilted and his mouth open. The little dummy seagull, however, was staring at the camera. Hadn't left the Cove, yet. Mike checked the Show Stage. Freddy was still there, but now turned towards the camera, just as he used to three years ago. All of them were out and about, but all of them were in sight and, so far, none of them had come close to the Security Office.

_You're forgetting something..._

The thought made him pause for a moment. He knew where they were, and had checked on them frequently. And yet he felt something nagging at him, as if he had left something unattended. But there was...

He pounded his knee and hissed as it came to him, quickly checking over both shoulders. Then, he jumped out of his chair and checked both Lights, peering out into the halls. Nothing. He got back into the swivel chair and pressed the CAM8A button.

The space girl was still in her spot. Hadn't moved an inch, so it seemed. Mike hadn't been able to ask about her when meeting Scott and Kevin, and the latter had failed to mention her in his call. Maybe that was because she didn't do anything. Maybe she wasn't fucked up like the other characters. He eyed her Space Blaster rifle, hoping like hell that light was the only thing that came out of it. It was bad enough that there were goofy characters trying to kill him, he didn't need one of them armed. Schmidt flicked to CAM8B. The arcade was dark, it's many machines were just silhouettes in the night. Going back to 8A, he watched space teen for a moment. It was 2:05AM.

"I know about the others," Mike mumbled to himself. "I know about Freddy, and his two good buddies, and even the Pirate. But I don't know about _you_. What are _you_ gonna do? Are _you _gonna do anything?"

**BANG**

The clatter of pots and pans.

Mike checked the Dining Area, no Bonnie or Chica. He checked CAM6. The damn thing still had no visuals! New and improved, my ass, Mike thought bitterly. Still, he head a character lumbering about in there. He checked the West end cams. Nothing down West Hall, or in the Supply Closet.

But he got a glimpse of a yellow blur leaving CAM2B.

"Fuck!" He hissed.

Michael Schmidt leaped out of his chair and pounded the Door button, the big metal barricade quickly slide down. He paused for a moment, listening. Nothing. He pushed the Light button and then went to the window next to the door. Chica stared at him from the other side, her jaw opening and snapping rapidly.

Mike turned the light off.

Going back to the chair, he checked the Show Stage. Freddy was staring blankly ahead. He didn't bother looking for Bonnie. The sounds of somebody knocking into things in the Kitchen was still audible. He checked the Cove, slowly becoming aware that the beeping had stopped. Nothing happening there, Foxy must have gone back in. Schmidt checked CAM8A. The space girl, Arella, still stood at her stage, not a hair out of place. If she was anything like Freddy and the others...at least she was behaving...for now. Either that or she was just waiting...

Mike got up and checked the light. Chica stared at him. He turned the light off.

Let's eat, he thought.

No sounds from the kitchen. The guard went over to the right panel and hit the lights and peeked out into the Hall. Bonnie stood at the other end. He moved his head to look at Mike as soon as the guard peered out.

Schmidt raised his right hand, and point at his own eyes with his index and middle finger, and then pointed at the rabbit, and then went back into the office. He checked the Light. The chicken was gone. He checked the monitor and found her back at the Dining Area, now facing the stage, as if looking directly at Freddy. Schmidt opened the left door.

He then went back to the right door, and hit the light and looked out into the hall. Bonnie was closer now, halfway down the hall. Mike paused for a moment and then went over to his chair. Instead of sitting in it, he pushed it mildly with his foot. When he heard the rapid footsteps he jumped over and hit the Door button.

BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Nice try, Mike thought.

He hit the door Light and looked Bonnie in the eyes as the rabbit stared back through the window. Power was at 55 percent. It was now 3AM on the dot.

Checking the camera, Chica was now over at the Restrooms, Freddy was on the stage, now staring at the camera again, Arella was still on her stage, completely still and...

_beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

Like rapid fire, the sensor went off.

"Shit!"

He leaped up so fast the chair fell over and slammed the Door button. A second later...

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Hitting the light, he caught a glimpse of something red run out of sight. He turned back towards the Monitor and looked. The sensor was still going, but slower now. Foxy was standing at the opening again, partially covered in shadows, staring at the camera. Damn was he a quick fucker. Mike opened the left door. Power was now at 49 percent. He checked the cameras again. Chica was still at the Restrooms, staring at something off camera that was on the wall. Bonnie was now further down the East Hall. He opened the right door, and peered down the hall to find that the rabbit had disappeared again. Mike found him in the Dining Area on the cams.

Pirate Cove was fine, though Foxy still stared from the opening of the cave. Bonnie was standing in the center of the Dining Area. Chica had left the Restrooms and had now joined him in the Dining Area again. Freddy still remained on the Show Stage, staring ahead, as if watching Bonnie or Chica...or perhaps speaking to them in some unfathomable way. The power was still above forty; enough to hold off till six. So long as they all stayed away from the office. So far, all who had moved had made a move towards him, and that had been rare back in the old days, except on the last night, where everyone was whirling around outside his door.

The nasal beeping slowed briefly, and then came to a full halt. Checking on the monitor, Mike saw that he had gone back into his Cove. It was a good thing, hell a _great _thing, that Kevin had managed to place a sensor onto Foxy's lair in order to detect him. Where he had gotten such a thing, and how he had managed to place it were something of a mystery. Surely, he hadn't known to do that at the beginning of his work as the night guard. Which meant that he'd had to play Foxy by ear and the camera, frequently checking to make sure that the Pirate wasn't barreling towards him madly from out of nowhere. Must have been hell. Foxy had always been hard to read, even back in the day, but there had been at least some sort of pattern. But now, after his repair, Foxy was just completely spastic.

Mike got up to check the Lights, when echoing laughter drifted into the Office.

Freddy.

Punching the CAM1A button hard enough to cause the Monitor to scrape across the table, Schmidt brought up the Show Stage.

Fazbear was still there, though he now stared at the camera. Mike stared at him.

"Don't fuck with me, Freddy," He said, softly. "I heard you. You're the only one who laughs, you sick fuck. Don't even begin to play with..."

Another bout of laughter. This time, he heard the light and undoubtedly gay nature of it. That wasn't Freddy. Bringing up CAM1B revealed Bonnie and Chica standing side by side, staring up at the camera. Those two often didn't make any sounds, Foxy occasionally sung his theme song, and Freddy was the one who had his deep and ominous laugh. It had been a sound that had stuck with Mike for years, especially in his dreams. But this new laugh was different and...

He tensed for a moment as he figured it out. Then, he pushed CAM8A.

Arella was gone.

"DAMN!" Mike Schmidt hissed, angrily, thumping his desk. He was scared, and that was what made him mad. He knew the other characters, he'd dealt with them before, had survived onslaughts from them three years ago. But this 'Arella'...he'd never seen her before yesterday afternoon. She was now the wild card; with absolutely nothing to predict what she would do. He hadn't asked about her behavior earlier, and Kevin had failed to mention her completely. Mike vowed that if he got out of this mess, that guy was going to hear from him big time.

He jumped up to hit the lights to check the halls, but as he did, a loud crash came from the Kitchen. Sounded like a food cart being overturned. Following it was a closer, gay bout of laughter. Then, there was the sound of pots and pans not being bumped into, but being thrown and banged around. The giggles and laughs continued. She was an active one, Mike could actually her hear running around in the Kitchen. He knew where she was, but he wasn't sure what she was going to do. But the Kitchen wasn't far.

But too much time was being spent on her. The power was at 22 percent. It was 4:45AM. It was almost over, he just had to watch out. He checked the Dining Area. Both Chica and Bonnie were gone. Schmidt got up and checked the light of the right door. He pressed the button and leaned out...

_beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep! - _a rapid hum of beeps.

_ "_Dammit!"

Mike whirled around and sprinted to the left door and whammed the button. A split second Foxy collided into the door, and pounded on it with his hook. Schmidt didn't pay him any mind he turned right back around and ran to the right light and peered out into the hall. No character there. By the time he checked the Monitor, the sensor was only beeping slowly. Foxy was peering out from the darkness of his Cave, only his eyes visible as he began to sing his theme song. The security guard opened the left door. As he did, he noticed the sounds from the kitchen had stopped. He looked down the West Hall with the Light, and then ran to do the same with the right.

No Arella, and he still didn't know where Bonnie and Chica were. He ran back to the Monitor to look. For a terrible moment, he couldn't find anything, except for Freddy and one of the spare endoskeletons (staring inches from the camera again). He then tried on of the new buttons, and brought up the Concession Stand. Bonnie was there, standing at the counter, leaning over, and looking up at the camera. Chica almost wasn't visible, but he managed to spot her standing outside the Stand, only her arm visible in the shot. He searched again, flipping through all of the cameras, and not a sign of the space girl anywhere. Checking the lights again didn't help either. He was going to flip shit at Kevin the night time he saw him.

Then he checked CAM8B.

Arella was standing in the arcade, looking up at the camera, her large, artificial smile only dimly lit. There were only dark holes were her eyes should have been. Her Space Blaster rifle was raised in a firing position and pointed at the camera. Unlike Freddy and his gang, she moved a little as he observed her. Her upper body flinched back a bit every few seconds as she took an imaginary shot at him, her gun lighting up a little with each "bullet". He could even hear it in the distance...

_Pew...pew...pew...pew...pew..._

Well, at least her gun didn't really fire anything. Thank god.

The sensor fell completely silent.

He continued monitoring, but nothing else. Mike Schmidt safely arrived to the beautiful hour of 6AM with 10 percent power. Not bad. The minute the clock chimed loudly across the building, he checked the Monitor one more time. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were all back on the Stage, staring ahead with lifeless expressions. Foxy was hidden in the Cove, and the endoskeleton had retired somewhere Back Stage. Arella was back on her stage, her eyes back in her head, and smiling cheerily at nothing. All was quiet for a moment.

And then he heard a door open somewhere nearby. He checked the East Hall cameras to find some morning cleaners coming in, but also, to his surprise, Scott Cawthon coming down the hall. Mike turned to the West doorway to meet him.

"Hello Mr. Cawthon," Schmidt said before the man could even reach the door.

"Ah, still with us and still vigilant," Cawthon said, smiling, but looked relieved. "I was worried, but I'm glad you've still 'got it' if you pardon the expression. Any problems, Mr. Schmidt?"

"This whole place is a problem," Mike replied, finding Kevin's quote very sufficient.

"Yes, yes..." The GM sighed, obviously not wanting to speak of that.

"Kevin didn't tell me about her."

"About who, Mr. Schmidt?"

"Arella," Mike said. "The space girl. She moved. You guys didn't tell me she moved."

"Well, I left that up to Kevin," Mr. Cawthon said, now sounding nervous. "You two were supposed to communicate this things and..."

"Oh, we're going to communicate, I promise you that," Schmidt grumbled standing up from his chair.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Schmidt," The GM said. "I will say something to Kevin..."

"Don't bother," Mike waved his hand. "I'll do plenty of that for you." He paused. "There might be a bit of a mess in the Kitchen. Bonnie and Arella went in there last night. Arella had a real great time by the sound of it, too."

"I'll be sure to send one of the janitors over," Cawthon sighed.

"You do that," Schmidt said. "I'm going home."

"Yes, that's fine," The GM nodded. "Have a good day, Mr. Schmidt. Good luck tomorrow night, if I don't see you."

"Yeah..."

He didn't leave right away. Instead, Mike Schmidt went up the the Freddy Fazbear Funcenter. When he got there, he stood in front of Arella's stage and simply looked at her. Right now, with the morning light coming in through the windows, she seemed innocent enough, but then again, so did Freddy and his buddies. The image of her eyeless face as she stood in the arcade would stick with him, reminding him of her night time persona. He'd "communicate" with Kevin, alright, that guy was going to get an earful. When midnight rolled around, he'd know what he'd need to.

Mike raised his hand, and point at his eyes with his index finger and middle finger, and then pointed at Arella. He turned and began to leave.

_Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!_

He turned to see her in a firing position, her Space Blaster filling the room with brilliant lights.

_Heeheehee! Ahehehehehe!_

The delighted laugh of a young teen.

As he watched her, she raised her own hand from the Blaster. She pointed at her eyes with her index finger and middle finger, and then pointed at Mike.

Then, she giggled.

Mike simply turned and walked out.

He made sure not to look at Freddy as he did.


	3. The Second Night

Mike Schmidt was nervous and furious.

Midnight was ten minutes away from rolling around. And he didn't have the answers he needed like he had promised himself.

It was not for lack of trying, he had called Kevin's number several times during the day after waking up. The son of a bitch hadn't answered his phone. There was a new animatronic at the Pizzeria, who had moved, and he knew nothing about her other than she giggled a lot. If he ever saw the red head again, he'd strangle him. Mr. Cawthon had been equally unhelpful, even though he had answered the phone. The GM had no idea what Arella's behavior would be like. Of course he wouldn't, and Mike had pretty much suspected that. The characters behaved, more or less, during the day. It hadn't hurt to try, though.

But now he sat back in the Security Office again, another night in hell waiting for him. The days in between just never seemed to last. It felt only a few hours ago it was six am and he was done and homefree. Now, he was here, and the worst part about it, he was essentially _willingly _coming back. It would have been one thing if a gun had been put to his head, but he couldn't even blame his bills for this. No, he'd agreed to this. He'd known the danger, and yet he still chose to come. Regretted it now, of course, but at the same time he knew he needed the money and bad. It was surprising still, to him, that this was what he was doing to avoid living back with his parents, or just becoming homeless than this, and he knew this was stupid. Homeless people probably had a much lower risk of dying than himself.

Eight minutes now before the real show of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza began. Mike had relieved the night janitors only a little bit ago. He had honestly considered trying to convince one of them to stay. It would have made things so much easier. One person to watch the cameras and the other operated the doors and lights. Plus, the mental boost from having someone there to watch your back would be phenomenal. The job was incredibly stressful because it was five against one. Yes, he had cameras, and yes, he had two virtually impenetrable doors, but the fact that all it took was a small lapse in attention for them to get past made things hard. And it'd be even worse as the week went on. Freddy and his friends become more active as the week progresses, a wise man had once said to Mike.

Riiiiiiiing!

Mike looked at the phone. He hadn't been expecting a call. Was it from Kevin? It had to be...who else would call except maybe for Scott? No way to answer it, since the receiver was missing, though.

Riiiiiiiiing!

It wasn't midnight yet, but just to be safe Mike flipped through the cams on the Monitor. Everyone was where they were supposed to be. For now.

Riiiiiiiiing!

Finally, the answering machine stepped in.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," It was indeed Kevin. "I heard through the grape vines that you wanted to speak to me about a certain character. I'll throw my hands up and admit failure on my part if it makes you feel any better."

It doesn't, Mike thought bitterly.

"I hope you didn't shit yourself too much over Arella," The red head continued. "Cause I got good news for ya, bud: She won't come anywhere near you. Yes, you heard that correctly, she's _not going to come to the Office_. Never does, never has. Doesn't even come down either the West or East hall. The only thing she does when she becomes active is wander and play with anything and everything. I'll bet she made a mess in the kitchen last night. Always does at some point. Never breaks anything, just loves throwing pots from the sound of it. But in general, you won't have to worry about her coming to 'visit' you. I guess she's not interested in stuffing anyone into a suit. Maybe she actually recognizes people as people rather than endoskeletons. It might be because she's designed to look like a human. I dunno."

Mike was sighing with relief, as he brought up the Show Stage on the Monitor. One less character to deal with.

"Don't start thinking that you don't have to keep an eye on her, though..." Mike groaned. "You see...while she's not a direct threat to you, she'll still be a problem if not kept in check. Like I said, she likes to go around and play with everything, especially anything that has buttons on it. And it just so happens that her favorite toy is the generator on the west side of the building..."

Oh, you've got to be shitting me...

"I guess because it's big and it makes a lot of noise and makes stuff happen all across the building," Kevin speculated. "Anyway, the point is that if you let her get into the Electrical Room, which you can see on CAM10, you're gonna be in deep shit, cause she's most likely gonna shut the power off while she's playing with the buttons. And Mr. Fazbear, as I'm sure you know, just loves the dark, so it's important that she stays away. She knows she's not supposed to be near the generator, but she's a teen. She'll sneak right over if you let her."

Schmidt pressed CAM8A. The teen in question was looking up at the camera, the dark holes that were supposed to be her eyes peering at him.

'Just keep on her," Kevin went on. "She'll head back to her stage if you catch her on the move and watch her real closely. If you slack off, she'll get closer to the Electrical Room. She'll get real excited the closer she gets, and you'll really have to hound her to make her step back. And since you've got Freddy and his buddies to worry about, you can't spend your time staring at her. But, if you don't keep an eye on her, that's what you're gonna have to end up doing."

Speaking of Freddy and his buddies, Mike changed back to the Show Stage. All three were still there. The sensor was quiet as well, but just to be sure, he checked Pirate Cove. Nothing but a dark cave. Good.

"But look, you need to be ready for shit like this," Kevin said, now sounding real annoyed. "I can't hold your hand. You should know, as well as I do, that there are no rules on the night watch. You have to be ready for the shit to hit the fan, cuz calling me fifty thousand times isn't always going to help you. You think it was easy for me on my first week? Hell no! I didn't have a sensor on Pirate Cove. And the only reason Arella knows she's not supposed to go near the generator is because I told her. Before I said anything, she just waltzed right over. That bitch cut the power off on me at 1:34AM, and guess what, Schmidty: I was still alive to clock out at 6AM. I was ready for Freddy, and his band of assholes. You need to be too, or you're not gonna last on this job for another week."

Mike looked at the phone in silence. Was he telling the truth about all that...?

"For your sake, I hope you've been watching the cameras," The red head finished. "Because if you haven't been, say hi to Bonnie for me while he's shoving you into a suit." He hung up.

The Rabbit was still on the Show Stage, along with the other two, fortunately.

A part of Mike wanted to be angry at the guy's smart ass nature, but if what he had said was true, then he was one hard core night watchman here. Even as bad as things had been on that final Sunday night three years ago, he'd somehow managed to keep the power on. Six Am arrived with the power meter reading less than 1 percent power. He'd never lost the electricity. Kevin had somehow outwitted even Freddy himself. And what had he meant when he said he had told Arella not to go to the Electrical Room? How was that even possible? Did he just walk up to her stage and say so? It didn't matter. He now knew what he'd needed to know. Pressing CAM8A, he met the eyes of Arella, who smiled up to him from her little stage.

She raised a hand from her gun and gave a stiff wave.

"You stay there..." Mike said lowly. "Don't even think about it, princess. I'm watching you..."

She stopped waving, pointed at her eyes with her index and middle finger, and then pointed at the camera. This place needed to burn down.

Footsteps. A chair scraped against the floor.

The Dining Area camera revealed Chica standing around the tables. Her head was turned over towards Pirate Cove's direction, prompting the guard to check CAM1C. Nothing was going on there. He had no idea what Chica was looking over to it. He flipped back to CAM1B and found that Chica had moved towards the left of the screen. She was going to move down the West Hall. Bonnie and Freddy were still hanging out on the Stage and Arella was still staring up at the camera, though now she had her Blaster raised and was shooting at it. Just keep on her, Kevin had said. Mike didn't really know what that really meant though. Three years ago, Foxy had been the one to check every now and again. He'd only been told by the previous guard that he, Foxy, became more active if he wasn't checked enough, but it had turned out that the Pirate didn't like being peeked at too much either. Either way, he'd still jump up and run straight down to the Office. But Mike, despite his dislike for the guy, trusted Kevin's words more. If his testimony was true, then he was practically the world's leading expert on this shitty job.

Because of the activity it had displayed last night, Mike decided to quickly check on the Endoskeleton that was Back Stage. It was sitting amongst the spare heads on the table, as it was supposed to. The Employee Only door was still ajar as it had always been. Someone should really lock that door, Schmidt thought. If nothing else, it would hopefully prevent that thing from leaving should it ever get the urge to. And, theoretically, it would prevent Freddy and his buds from getting their mechanical hands on any of the spare suits to shove him into. That was supposed to be their primary mode of attack. If that was cut off, wouldn't that mean that they really didn't have anything to use? Maybe they'd just kill him. Who knew? It was probably best not to find out.

Checking CAM2B, Chica had moved. She was now closer to the halls that would lead her to straight to him. Either the West or the East, he'd have to make sure to know which. Bonnie and Freddy were still on the Show Stage. Interestingly, they weren't looking at the camera, but Fazbear had turned back to look at the Rabbit, who stared back. CAM8A showed Arella still on her stage. Her Blaster was again raised and she was taking imaginary pot shots at the camera (Pew...Pew...Pew...Pew...). Everyone but the Chicken were where they were supposed to be. Chica was still in the Dining Area. She'd stepped closer to the camera, some of her face peeking out from the shadows, her dark empty eyes glaring at him from the small static.

"Let's eat..." Mike muttered.

A slow beep sounded. He pressed CAM1C, and saw Foxy's eyes peeking from the darkness of his cave.

"Already peeking out, eh, matey?" Schmidt said. "Go sink a ship..."

Going back to the Chicken, she had opened her beak and now looked as if she was going to eat the camera.

"Don't eat that," Mike said lowly. "That's Fazbear Entertainment property. You'll be severely fined..."

Freddy and Bonnie were still on the Show Stage, assuming their normal positions. Neither were looking at the other anymore. He checked the cam for Back Stage. The endoskeleton had become active again. It was standing next to the table it was usually seated on, staring at the camera with its bright red eyes. Mike was never sure if the whole "the animatronics mistake people for endoskeletons" story was true or not. If it was, that would, ironically, be sort of a good thing. It'd keep this jerk Back Stage, unless it wanted the characters to attack it. It had been slightly active three years ago (assuming it even WAS the same endoskeleton from back then), occasionally looking up at the camera, but it'd never left the room. Then again, Bonnie had gone in there several times and had never attacked it or even looked at it. Maybe he'd never managed to see it, but that was a tough pill to swallow. The endoskeleton wasn't exactly small or that unnoticeable. Maybe the characters didn't actually mistake him for an endoskeleton. Maybe they really were just that bloodthirsty. On the other hand, his predecessor had specifically warned him that that was their reason for seeking him out, and, the man's body had been found in a suit a few days after the restaurant closed down. Why would they go through the trouble to stuff a person into a suit when they could just kill him?

A sharp sound broke through the darkness of the restaurant. Sounded like something falling over. Schmidt pressed the button for the Dining Area just in time to see Chica's head turn towards the camera, a fallen chair at her feet.

"Clumsy, clumsy, you..." Mike began.

_Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

Without thinking for even a second, the guard leaped from his chair. For one horrible moment, he stumbled and thought he would fall face first onto the hard, tile floor, allowing the damn pirate to barge in and scoop him up. But he managed to keep his foot and jumped over and whammed the the big red button. It was very close. Mike actually glimpsed the fox's eyes as the big door whammed shut.

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!

Schmidt paid the noise little mind. He hoped back to his chair while Foxy threw his tantrum and checked the Dining Area again. No Chica. Not in the Restrooms either. He jumped up and checked the Light.

Let's Eat was the first thing he saw as Chica barreled towards him, her beak snapping.

He threw himself back into the room and elbowed the red button on the panel. The instant the door was down, Chica crashed into it hard enough it rattled the Monitor. Mike checked his watch as he stumbled towards his chair, panting. 1:04AM, the power was at 91 percent. He wasn't sure if they were any more active than they had been three years ago. Even on his second night then, Bonnie had seemed to run straight from the Stage right to him. Maybe Chica was having her period, like Kevin had suggested, because she sure seemed pissed tonight.

The sensor's beeping had slowed. Foxy was back at Pirate Cove, but his eyes were peeking out through the darkness. Bonnie and Freddy hadn't moved, so Mike got up and opened the left door. He turned to check the right light, but he saw the bright yellow through the window and didn't bother. Instead, he hit CAM8A to find a certain little stage to be empty.

"Shit!" The guard hissed under his breath. Chica was right outside the door. If that space bitch was making a Foxy dash towards the generator he was going to be screwed. The Dining Area was empty, Foxy's eyes were the only things of interest at the Cove (Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep), and nothing was happening at the Concession Stand. Beginning to sweat, he hit CAM10, expecting to find the door open for a split second before all went black. The doors were designed with a counter weight that lifted the doors in the event of a power outage. This was, of course, meant to prevent someone from being locked inside.

The door to the Electrical Room was closed, untouched.

He checked the kitchen. No sounds coming from there. He hit CAM8B for the Arcade. No Arella there either.

"Where the hell is she!?" Mike hissed. The damn bitch was nowhere! He looked over his should to see Chica still there. He turned away. Don't show fear, he thought, they'll eat you alive...at least THAT one will.

He raised a finger to flip through the cams again when he heard a thumping noise. For a moment, he thought it was Chica knocking and ignored it, but then he realized it was coming from the speakers of the monitor. The Monitor was still on CAM8A, the Arcade. He listened closely and heard the sound again. It was a low noise, changing in loudness and speed. There was a sort of clacking quality to it. It actually sounded familiar...

_The only thing she does when she becomes active is wander and play with anything and everything..._

It clicked in his mind.

Arella was in the Arcade, mashing the buttons of one of the machines. He was sure of it. Whatever machine she was screwing with was out of view of this camera. He tried CAM8A and watched as it panned. There. In the very right corner of the screen, he caught sight of the space girl bent at one of the machines at the half-wall behind her stage, obscuring her a fair amount.

"Okay," Mike sighed. "You're goofing with one of the games. It's not on, but hey, that's fine. That's great. In fact, that's just peachy. You keep doing that. You play that powered off game all night, if it makes you happy. As long as you stay the hell away from the generator..."

He checked the power meter. 80 percent power. It was 1:43AM. He was using more power than he would have liked. He looked at the window towards the right. Chica stared back.

_Hey, there's an endoskeleton backstage without a costume on_, Mike thought bitterly, _why don't you go do something about that_?

Schmidt got up and checked the hall towards the left. Nothing out there. Checking the Show Stage revealed only Freddy Fazbear and no Bonnie. Mike meant to press CAM1B to search the Dining Area, but accidentally hit 1C for the Cove. Foxy's eyes still glared from within, but he had a visitor. The rabbit was standing in front of the Cove, joining the pirate in his glare game, his normals eyes gone, replaced by a small prick of light that was the endoskeleton within.

The continuous beeping from the sensor was going to give him a headache.

He looked over his shoulder at the window again. No Chica. He checked the East Hall's cameras and found her stalking the Restrooms. Good. After opening the door, he checked the Cove again real quick. Bonnie and Foxy were still there. He pressed CAM8A, listening very intently for what he might hear. There weren't any clacking sounds this time. Mike tensed for a moment. Had she left? Was she at the generator?

Pressing CAM8B answered his question.

She had climbed onto one of the game machines and was now staring directly into one of the cameras, the dark holes were her eyes should be were practically burning right through him. The red light from the camera lit up the wide, frozen, and artificial smile on her face.

Arella giggled.

_She won't come anywhere near you, _Kevin had said.

"At least I don't have to worry about you killing me..." Mike muttered.

He checked the Back Stage again. The endoskeleton was in the same place, but now all the spare heads in the room were also facing the camera. Freddy was still on the Show Stage, but he joined the chorus of stares in the direction of the security camera. Chica stood in front of the restrooms and Foxy and Bonnie were still at the Cove. All three of them stared. Mike flipped through the cams and stared back. None of them were too close for the moment. It was now 2:11 AM.

The hour passed slowly. Bonnie eventually left Pirate Cove and headed over to the Concession Stand, where he stood in front of the registers, apparently staring at them. After about a half hour of that, he leaned over the counter to look at the camera as he had done last night. Chica remained at the Restrooms, standing in front of the camera glaring, only leaving once briefly to enter the ladies room, the sound of banging stall doors and flushing toilets emerging. Mercifully, the sensor finally stopped beeping as Foxy went back into the Cove, and Freddy kept quiet on the Show Stage, not even turning towards the camera for the while. Arella remained in the Arcade, on top of the machine she had climbed, staring. Occasionally, she raised her rifle and pointed it directly at the lens, taking up most of Mike's vision, but other wise, it was her frozen face. The endoskeleton in the Back Stage had sat back down on the table, but continued, along with the spare heads, to stare towards the camera as well.

All seemed normal, then.

3:12AM came and Bonnie was missing from the Concession Stand. Mike flipped through the cameras and found him lurking in the Supply Closet. Quite the hustle, but nothing surprising from the rabbit. Schmidt looked over his shoulder towards the left door and thought for a moment. Then, he pressed a button on the Monitor, stood up and checked the left light. Bonnie stopped in mid step and looked at him through the window. The guard hit the red button and the door slid shut.

_Nice try...again, _Mike thought.

A laugh echoed through the building. Mike froze. It wasn't Freddy's deep, demonic laugh. It was cheery and light.

The guard hit CAM8B. Arella was no longer staring at the camera. No sounds coming from the Arcade, no loud clacking or banging around. 8A revealed nothing either, the little stage was completely barren, though the little lights outlining the stars and meteors had turned on. He didn't hear any ruckus coming from the kitchen. The Dining Area was barren, and only Bonnie was at the Concession Stand. He flipped down the West and East halls. Kevin had said that she never even approached those halls, but it didn't hurt to double check. The space girl wasn't there. He checked Back Stage. The endoskeleton stil sat where it was supposed to, still staring away, but otherwise nothing. Mike began to sweat again. Where the fuck was the space girl!?

_She'll sneak right over if you let her_, Kevin had said.

Sneak...

Mike got up and checked the light for the West Hall. Bonnie was gone, allowing the door to be opened again. He was found headed down the West Hall, back towards the Dining Area. Chica was still at the Restrooms, standing around doing absolutely fuck all. Freddy and Foxy were where they were supposed to be. Schmidt checked CAM8A, carefully looking at everything he could see. Then he brought up the Dining Area and searched every darkened nook and cranny. And then...

"There you are," He said, pointing at the screen.

Arella was hidden under one of the tables in the Dining Area over on the far left side of the camera's view. Her head was peeking out ever so slightly as she peered out to the camera. She was taken a page out of Freddy's book. It didn't matter though, he had her in sight. Schmidt quickly checked on everyone else. None of them had moved, so he went right back to her.

"Just keep on her..." Mike muttered, remembering Kevin's words. "Just keep on her and she'll go back...just gotta..."

_beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

"No!" Mike cried.

He pushed himself off from the table, allowing his chair to roll towards the panel, and he whammed the red one. Before the door came down he got a glimpse of not just Foxy, but Bonnie. The two of them hammered on the door. Ignoring them, Schmidt went back to the Monitor. Arella was, of course, missing again. The damn pirate had distracted him.

Just to be sure, he checked the Arcade again. Nothing. Then, Mike checked Back Stage. Only the endoskeleton there. Double checking the Dining Area again showed nothing. He glanced at the power meter. 17 percent. It was 4:03AM. He was cutting it close. If this kept up he'd run out of power. Jumping up, he went over and checked the light. Bonnie stared at him from the other side. The guard went over to the right side and peered out into the office. No chicken making a move.

He sat down in the swivel chair, the sensor still beeping slowly. Checking the Cove, he did not see Foxy staring out. Mike froze for a moment, puzzled. No sign of the pirate, and yet the sensor was still going. The West Hall cams revealed no Foxy. Going back to CAM1C, he looked closer. Something was poking out of the corner of the dark cave. He instantly recognized it as the firing end of Arella's Blaster. She was actually camping out in Pirate Cove. But then where was...

"Da da dum dum dum dum, dum dum dum diddly doom doom doom, diddly doom." A voice sung on the Cam. It was, of course, the pirate. He was back at the Cove.

Schmidt searched the rest of the building, placing the Monitor back on CAM1C periodically during his search to stare for a moment at it. Chica had finally left the Restrooms and had now wandered over towards the Arcade, standing not far from Arella's stage on CAM8A. Freddy was still in his place on the Stage, and Bonnie was still right outside. Foxy and Arella were at the Cove. The sensor picked up tempo and he went back to 1C. Foxy's eyes stared out from the darkness, and Arella had now appeared from the cave.

"Da da dum dum dum dum, dum dum dum diddly doom doom doom, diddly doom." Foxy started up again. As he sang, Arella seemed to sway from side to side. Adorable.

Mike continued watching them for a minute, and then checked the left light. No Bonnie. He opened the door and peered out into the hall. No sign of the rabbit. Checking the cameras, Bonnie had made his way Back Stage. Interestingly, the endoskeleton had lowered its head as the guitar playing rabbit stood in the door way. Freddy's face filled CAM1A, his dark, soulless eyes piercing.

It's me.

Arella was absent from Pirate Cove when he checked again. He searched the Concession Stand but saw no sign of her. Then, he checked the Dining Area and, after a moment, found her peeking around from a table in the back of the room. She'd taken a step back it seemed. Kevin's words had been sound. Good. He knew her pattern then. Hopefully it would stay like that. What was everyone else doing? Chica was standing in the center of the arcade, her back facing the camera. Bonnie was now inches from the camera Back Stage, as he'd done a few times three years ago, and Freddy had shifted position on the Show Stage. He was now further back than he usually was. His jingle was playing, and he had raised his microphone as if he was doing a solo performance. The sensor had gone silent, indicating that Foxy was quiet as well.

5AM with 9 percent power. Not doing as well as yesterday, but Mike knew that was enough. He'd managed to get by on less than that. Chica and Bonnie were nowhere near him. He kept a close eye on Arella, who remained at the Dining Area. Only one hour and he'd be home free. The space girl was still visible, still hiding by the table. She wasn't going anywhere. He flicked back to the Chicken and the Bunny very quickly before returning to her. His eye was on her so hard it'd make her fucking head spin. No way was the power going to be cut off when he was this close.

Something whisked by the camera's lens.

Mike froze where he was for a moment.

Then he heard the footsteps.

He jumped up and slammed the left door shut. A fraction of a second later...

BAMBAMBAMBAM!

Schmidt spun around and threw his head out the right door, hitting the light.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"

"FUCKFUCK!"

He slammed the red button just as Chica's hands reached in, Schmidt falling over as they came. The door smacked them down and whammed into the grove.

"REEEEEEEEE!" The electric scream was piercing.

He turned to the power meter. 7 percent. 5:13AM. Then, 6 percent. Those doors, those damn doors!

The left door was being pounded on by the rabid bunny, while Chica appeared to be pecking the window with her beak. Mike looked at both of the doors. They'd run him dry if he kept them down, but he didn't have a choice with them right there.

BAM BAM BAM BAM!

"REEEEEEEEE!"

The nasal sound of the sensor beginning to beep somehow made it over the sound. His hands shaking, Mike pressed CAM1C. Foxy wasn't leaving, just peering out from the darkness. The guard tried to ignore the ruckus at his door, and hit CAM1B. Arella was gone.

"Nononono," Schmidt panted, sweat pouring.

Nothing in the arcade. Nothing Back Stage. He didn't have time to play hide and seek! None at all. His hand slipped and he hit 1A. Freddy stared at him, his body glowing from his body. A slow deep laugh emitted from the cameras speakers, loud enough to go over Bonnie's banging and Chica's screeching. It was not gay and light at all.

It's me. It's me. It's me. It's me. It's me.

Mike glanced at the power meter. It went from six percent to five percent right before his eyes. 5:24AM.

No Arella in the Concession Stand. The guard felt his heart racing. Dreading what he would see, he pressed CAM10. The door to the Electrical Room was still closed, but he saw a long shadow stretching across it. The outline of an odd rifle was a part of that shadow. It was Arella. She was right down the hall from the door.

_Keep on her keep on her keep on her_, was all Mike could think.

CRACK!

Mike jumped so hard that he bumped into the Monitor.

A long thin line had formed in the window where Chica was pecking away. He watched her continue the assault, her mechanical eyes rolling in her head.

"REEEEEEEEEE!"

Schmidt stumbled to his feet and looked at the monitor. It was showing Freddy again, staring right at him. His laugh came through the speakers. It was deep and demonic...but also positively goofy.

"Get lost, Fuckbear!" Mike gasped, pressing CAM10.

Arella was right at the door, but she was looking back at the camera. He'd caught her...but barely.

Four percent. 5:35AM.

Schmidt did everything to ignore Bonnie and Chica. The space girl was all that mattered right now. If she got into that room, those two would barge right in and that'd be the end of it. She'd gotten close and, if Kevin was right, she was real excited. Her favorite toy was almost in reach. The big generator with its many buttons, all of which served a function. All of which made something happen. Great fun was to be had, and this was Freddy Fazbear's Pizza wasn't it? Wasn't this the place where people came for fun? Wasn't fun the thing that this place stood for? It's entire purpose? Of course it was! Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! Where fantasy and fun come to life!

And boy was it lively right now!

All was quiet suddenly.

Mike glanced at the windows, seeing nothing but darkness. Quickly, keeping an eye on the Monitor, he pressed the blue button on the left. Bonnie stared at him. The right button revealed Chica.

5:43AM

Two percent.

Both doors down.

Waiting.

Mike hurried to the Monitor. Arella hadn't moved. Or maybe she'd gotten closer to the door. It was hard to tell now. Too much was going through his head. He had no idea if the power was going to last, but his earlier question had been answered. They definitely were more active on this second night than they'd been the second night three years ago. Maybe it was something new with their programming. Or maybe it was because they were more determined to get him now than they were then. Maybe this was their revenge.

The power meter went to one percent. It was 5:48AM.

_ But look, you need to be ready for shit like this_, he heard Kevin say in his head, _that bitch cut the power off on me at 1:34AM, and guess what, Schmidty: I was still alive to clock out at 6AM. I was ready for Freddy, and his band of assholes._

Mike quickly looked around the room. He hoped to find some indication of what Kevin had done, but he couldn't see anything. Without any idea of what the context was, he had no way of knowing what that red headed bastard had done to avoid the clutches of the characters. Had he left the Office? Schmidt couldn't do that. Not with those two buffoons out there waiting for him. Had he hidden somehow. There was no way that Bonnie and Chica were dumb enough to not look under the desk when the doors opened. Had he actually fought them? That seemed even more unlikely. Kevin didn't look like he worked out every day, and the characters were essentially robots! Besides that, the only conceivable weapon was the swivel chair...

Schmidt felt panic grow as the minutes passed by at an agonizingly slow pace. It was approaching 5:52, with the power threatening to go off any minute, the ceiling lamp beginning to flicker and dim. Minutes away from his security being ripped away and he had no idea what to do. He wasn't Kevin. He was not ready. Not by a long shot. That asshole had not given him one piece of advice of what he could do if the power had somehow managed to go off, if the characters somehow managed to get into the Office...

As the lights dimmed more, a voice spoke up in Mike's head. One that he'd completely forgotten about...

_If you happen to get caught, and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit...try playing dead! You know...go limp!_

It was all he had.

Mike grabbed the swivel chair, and pushed it out of the line of sight from the windows. His weak legs trembling he collapsed and slumped into the chair. He held his breath.

A minute passed.

Another.

A third.

Then, the light went out. The sound of the power shutting off throughout the building echoed in his head.

The two doors slowly rolled up as their counter weights engaged. It took a moment, but they slowly bolted into place.

Silence.

Then close footsteps.

Mike didn't move.

A drop of sweat rolled down his face.

"Da da dum dum dum dum..." Foxy sang in the distance.

Then, nothing but the beating of his heart.

And then, the lights came back on as the generator returned to normal function, it's power conserving mode ending.

The light revealed Freddy Fazbear as he stared directly into Mike's eyes, inches from his face, the ceiling lamp illuminating his bright golden fur.

"NO! NO!" Mike screamed falling out of his chair. "LET ME GO!"

As he hit the ground, he covered his head, waiting for the hard metallic hands.

They didn't come.

Instead, he heard the chiming of the town clock. Slowly, sweat pouring from his face, Michael Schmidt raised his head. The Office was empty. He looked at his watch.

It was 6AM.

He got up, his legs wobbling, weak, and checked the Monitor.

Freddy and his two buddies were on the stage. The sensor was quiet. And Arella stood vigilantly on her stage, her bright eyes back in their sockets.

"Mr. Schmidt! Mr. Schmidt!"

The sounds of footsteps racing towards him. Mike turned towards the left door just in time for Scott Cawthon, flanked by two of the morning cleaning men, to burst in.

"Oh thank god, you're still here," Cawthon said, trembling. "I heard screaming and I was very worried. Are you hurt? What happened!?"

Mike paused for a moment, staring at the GM with bewildered eyes. Then, he shook his hand.

"Nothing, Mr. Cawthon," He said. Incredibly, his voice sounded steady. "Just fell out of my chair, that's all..."

"You're pale," Scott said. "And sweat's pouring down your face...what happened, son? Was there a problem?"

"This whole pla..."

"Yes, yes," Cawthon waved this aside. "The whole place is a problem, I know, I know. Answer my question."

"Nothing out of the usual, Mr. Cawthon," Mike shrugged. He was amazed he could still shrug. His heart was still racing. "Just another fun filled night, of course."

"Mr. Schmidt..."

"Look, Mr. Cawthon..." The guard interrupted. "If it's all the same to you...I'm tired, and I want to go home. I'm really not in the mode to sit around and answer all your questions. There's a table knocked over in the Dining Area, one of the games in the Arcade might be damaged and..." He pointed at the right window. The cracks gleamed in the light "See about getting the windows reinforced..." He grabbed his things, reached out and patted Cawthon on the shoulder. "Later, sir..."

He walked out the door and only after he was halfway down the hall did he hear a low "Yes...have a good day...Mr. Schmidt..."

He passed through the Dining Area on his way to the exit. He didn't know if Freddy and the others were looking at him. By this point, he knew better than to look.

As he walked out into the light of the slowly rising sun, he thought about what he was going to do. A question was in his mind, and only one person had the answer. And when he got home, he was going to make a phone call and leave a message. The message would be short. Very short. Only one sentence.

Only one.


	4. Day Time Rendezvous

_What can I do to be ready?_

At 8:30AM, Mike Schmidt parked in the main parking lot of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The summer air was warm, and the lot was occupied with excited kids and their parents as they made their way towards the front entrance. Many of them carried gaily wrapped boxes and packages. Birthdays were one of Freddy's specialties of course, as all the kids knew. It was on those special days when he whipped up his famous "Party Pizza", which was enough to feed a small crowd of growing children. All while singing with his two band buddies, and then watching the happy kids head over to play some fun games and win prizes and be dazzled by Arella's fabulous light show and then beg their parents to go to the places that the space teen suggested.

Mike envied the kids. They had never (and hopefully would never) see Freddy Fazbear's eyeless face staring up at them through the grainy lens of a camera at night. Never had they seen Chica and Bonnie stalk about, listening for their foot falls as they crept closer. Nor had they ever seen Foxy rampage down the hall in a murderous frenzy. No, the kids had a much more brighter image of the characters in their minds. They didn't know what Freddy Fazbear did while they slept at night, full of pizza and soda from the bear's restaurant...

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp whistle. One that caused some parents and kids to stop and look around, confused.

Kevin was leaning against the wall of the front entrance, his sunglasses gleaming in the morning light, along with his red hair. When walking past him, some parents took hold of their kids' elbows and quietly, and quickly, guided them inside. Wordlessly, Mike approached him and leaned against the wall as well next to him. Neither of them spoke, simply watching the families enter.

Finally, the red head spoke.

"Had a bad night, eh, Schmidty?" He asked simply.

"I've had worse, actually," Mike replied. And he had. This morning had been close, very close, but it hadn't been the worst. Not by a long shot.

"Yeah, I bet," Kevin said. "I heard about your little experiment with those assholes. Didn't work too well?"

"If you have to put it mildly, yeah, that's about right..." Mike nodded. "I'd rather we didn't talk about it."

"Well, tough luck, junior," The red head replied. "That's basically what the whole point of this rendezvous is. Talking and learning." He turned and opened the front doors and waved his hand. "After you, Schmidty."

"Stop calling me that," Mike grumbled. "It's Mike."

"Yeah, I know."

The two of them stepped inside. A young college girl, a Freshman no doubt, was standing at the Host Podium, smiling at all the families as they passed. A queer look etched on her face when Kevin and Mike approached. The red head paid her no mind and began to step over the ropes.

"Uh, sir?" The girl spoke up. "I can't let you by without..."

"Save it," Kevin said, looking at her. "We're the night guys."

"Night guys?" She asked. "Oh! The janitors!"

"No," The red head shook his head. "We're the Night Watchmen."

"Watchmen?" The Hostess was now very confused. "You mean like security guards?"

"Precisely!" And suddenly Scott Cawthon was there, his bright suit livening up everything. "Just like that."

"What do we need night security guards for?" She asked her boss, the queer look still on her face.

"Well..." Mike began.

"Just to keep an eye on things!" Scott quickly spoke over him. "You know, for security purposes and what not!"

"Yeah," The girl laughed, seeming to find the idea silly. "I guess somebody needs to keep an eye on Freddy in case he decides to leave the stage. Wouldn't want him wondering around unattended, right?" She winked at Kevin and Mike. When neither of them cracked so much as a smile, she suddenly looked nervous.

"Eh heh heh..." Scott laughed, fiddling with his hands. "Right. If you'll excuse me, Megan, I'll just have a chat with my two faithful guards here."

"Sure, Mr. Cawthon." Megan the Hostess said, perking up.

"Why are you two here?" Scott asked. He didn't sound mad. He sounded concerned.

"We work here," Kevin replied, simply.

"Is there a problem?" Cawthon ignored him. "What's going on?"

"Relax, Scott," The red head said. "I'm just...'training'. Giving ol' Schmidty here some pointers. Some sage advice."

"Has there been a problem?" Scott asked again, now looking at Mike. "Is this about what happened this morning? I knew something happened, you looked pale and you were..."

"You clock in, Mike?" Kevin interrupted.

"Uh...no?" Mike said slowly.

"Well, you should," The red head replied, sliding his card in the time clock.

"Now, wait, I can't have you two on the clock..." Cawthon began. "Money is very tight as of now and..."

"Don't you have a Pizzeria to run?" Kevin said, as Mike slide his card.

"Now listen," Scott said, now becoming stern. "You need to remember that I'm still your boss. You don't speak to me like that, understand?"

Kevin took off his sunglasses. "Listen Scotty," He began. "Me and my friend here are keeping the skeletons in your closet hidden and away from the public. And those skeletons still have life in them. We're risking our necks for you. So, if you think you can become the 'Big Boss' and tell me what to do, I'll walk out the door and I'll take Schmidty with me. And once we leave, we ain't coming back. Somebody's gotta do the watch, Cawthon, and I bet Freddy would love for you to stay the night..."

Cawthon said nothing. A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes.

"We're here right now to make sure the skeletons stay hidden," Kevin put his shades back on. "So, why don't you run along and put on a good show for the kids. Let us work."

Mr. Cawthon opened his mouth to protest, but he must have thought better of it, because he immediately closed it and stood for a second. Then, he turned and walked away without a word, a smile, as large and artificial as Arella's, stretching on his lips as he approached the guests. Kevin watched him for a moment and then walked on towards the Dining Area. Mike followed, and the two of them went through the big double doors.

"...huh, kids?" Freddy Fazbear himself was speaking.

It was immediately followed by a chorus of cheers and applause from the kids.

"I know I had a good time!" Bonnie spoke up. "There's always fun to be had at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! What do you think about another song, guys?"

"But what about the pizza?" Chica spoke up. "I'm getting awfully hungry! And I bet the kids are too!"

The kids cheered in agreement. Freddy laughed gaily.

"Just be patient, Chica!" Fazbear replied. "I've something very special cooking up for our birthday guest!"

"That's right!" Bonnie replied. "We have a lucky birthday guest today everyone! I have an idea, Freddy!"

"What's that, Bonnie?" Fazbear asked.

"We should sing a song for their birthday!"

"Hey! That _is _a great idea!" Freddy agreed.

"Yeah!" Chica cheered. "In fact, why don't our special birthday guests step forward to the stage! Come on! Don't be shy!"

A little boy quickly got up, not a trace of shyness in him, and ran towards the stage. In his eagerness, he started to climb the stage, but two day associates politely stepped forward and guided him away from Fazbear and turned him about to face all the other guests.

"Great!" Freddy spoke up. "Now, everyone! Let's sing!"

They began to sing the traditional birthday song. Freddy sang the first verse, Bonnie the second, then Chica, then all four of them brought it home. During the whole thing, Bonnie played the tune on his guitar. Mike watched the whole thing with some awe. He'd never been here during the day. He had applied over the phone, and had just come during the night. The only training he had gotten was the rambling messages from the guard before him. The characters that the kids knew were certainly not the ones he knew.

Kevin must have thought the same.

"A lot different during the day, aren't they?" He said, looking at Mike's face.

"A bit, yeah," Mike agreed. "Look, why are we here? You know it's not safe to talk here with them being..."

"It's fine," Kevin replied, watching the show. "They're not listening to us. They've got kids to entertain during the day. It's good for us to be here. We want them to know that we're communicating. That we're making plans. It'll slow them down and, trust me, they're watching us. But that's all they can do with the kids here. Watch...but not hear." He gestured for Mike to follow. "Come on..."

"Aren't we going to the Office?" Mike asked.

"Not just yet," The red head said. "First, the Arcade..."

As they walked out, Mike glanced over at Pirate Cove. Foxy pulled his head back into the darkness as their eyes met briefly.

Without a doubt, the Fazbear Fun Center was the loudest place in the restaurant. Constant sounds from nearly all the games filled the air, mixing in the many laughs of the kids messing around in the ball pit in the far right corner of the area. Jackpots were won, tickets were dispensed and prizes were given out. Mike almost felt sorry for the lone attendant for having to keep watch over all forty or fifty kids running and screaming at the top of their lungs, along with their sheer indecisiveness when it came to selecting their prizes. It was a miserable job to have here, second only to the night watch.

A small group of parents and kids had gathered around the little stage in front of the entrance arch of the Arcade, as another act went on.

"...kids! My name is Arella, and I'm the Captain of the Kid's Space Expedition over at..." Another jackpot was won, interrupting the space girl's monologue. "I'm looking for recruits to join me on a fun filled tour of the galaxies, and Freddy Fazbear was nice enough to contact me and tell me that he knew of a great band of brave kids, eager for adventure!" The stars and meteors on the backdrop of the stage began to light up, dazzling the kids with a very small sample of what the beauty of space looked like. Then, the teen began to rattle off all the attractions that her company had. Mike had to admit, the place actually sounded like a location he'd have his birthday when he was a kid. A building full of arcade games, air hockey tables, and even laser tag? He'd much sooner be there than eating pizza with Freddy Fazbear. "So, I hope to see you on my next adventure!" Arella finished up. "It'll be a _blast!_". She fired her Blaster, which let out a rainbow array of lights and a volley of futuristic sounds. The kids were again dazzled, and they began to take the pamphlets on the podium next to the small stage.

"Mom! Dad!" A older boy of about nine years began to cry out. "Can we go there? I wanna have _my _birthday party there!"

"Me too!" Another kid, presumably his brother, joined. "Please! Please _PLEASE!_"

Mike Schmidt watched the crowd disperse as Arella's little show ended for now. She now just stood on her stage, staring lifelessly ahead. It was almost strange seeing her with her eyes actually in her head. At night, she often looked like somebody had taken a spoon and scooped her eyeballs out. Now, she looked like a normal teenaged girl. He didn't know if she had an official age in any stories or kids cartoons she might be in, but she appeared to be, at the youngest, fifteen, and seventeen at the oldest. She was kinda tall for a teen girl too, for she appeared to be around the same height as Freddy and his gang.

"Do Freddy and the others like her?" Schmidt asked.

"Huh?" Kevin asked.

"Freddy and the others..." Mike repeated. "Do you think they like Arella hanging around? I mean, she kinda steals some of the show from them, if you think about it. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Fazbear didn't like sharing the spotlight."

"I don't know if they do or not, and I don't really care," Kevin replied, shrugging. "But I've never seen them fight or anything, if that's what you're asking. She's gotten close enough to the Show Stage that they certainly have to know that she exists. Hell, she's even gone in Pirate's Cove and Foxy's done jack shit about it."

Mike nodded. He'd seen the same thing just last night.

"I guess maybe they know that the fundings from her company are what's keeping this place open for business," Kevin said. "So maybe they know not to mess with her or that'll stop happening. Or maybe they just don't give a flying fuck about her. She seems to do her own thing for the most part so...yes, we're talking about you."

For a moment, Schmidt was confused, until he glanced over at the stage. She was looking at them, her bright cheery eyes and her big happy smile favoring them.

"She get close to the Electrical Room last night?" Kevin asked, still looking at the teen.

"Too close," Mike said. "Didn't make it to the generator, but she got to the door."

"Oooh, you can't let her get that far, Schmidty," Kevin said, shaking his head. "She may not be out to kill you, but she'll get you killed if you don't start getting your shit together. Either she'll shut the power off, or you'll be too busy watching her to notice Bonnie snapping your neck."

"It wasn't my fault," Mike replied, defensively. "Bonnie and Chica were pounding at my door, I thought Chica was gonna smash through the window."

"Don't worry about that," The red head returned. "That window's strong. It'd take her at least an hour to get break it. And by then, if they're that determined, by the time she does get in through the window, you should be long gone."

"How?" This was the real question. "They were at the doors..."

"I know," Kevin said slowly, staring at Arella, who stared back. Then, he faced Schmidt. "Listen, partner...I have my own plans when it comes to this job. I can't tell you everything because I don't know if you're good enough to handle it."

"Handle it!?" Mike was genuinely offended. "I've been here almost as long as..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." The red head interrupted, he started walking and Schmidt followed. He could tell where they were going without even asking. Their little Office, of course. Where else...? "And there was also your seventh night here, I know, big shot, I know. But that was THEN and this is NOW. The night watch isn't the same as it was three years ago and you need to be ready for the shit that they're going to throw at you." He paused, stopping in mid walk. "Was last night the first time you've lost power?"

"Well..." Mike began to defend himself, but then thought better of it. "Yes. Yes it was."

"So, if the power goes out," Kevin asked. "What do you do?"

"Play dead." Schmidt answered almost at once.

"What?" Kevin seemed a little taken aback.

"Play dead," Mike repeated. "You know...go limp."

"That's your plan?" Kevin scoffed. "To go limp?"

"The guy before told me to try it..." Mike replied, again, getting slightly defensive.

"That must have been shortly before he was stuffed into a suit himself..." Kevin shook his head.

"Hey! It worked this morning!" Mike said.

"No, it didn't," Kevin still shook his head. "You just got lucky. Jesus, Mike, did you really think that they're that stupid? That _that_ would work? Are you gonna try to see if their vision is based off movement next?"

"Alright fine," Mike waved this away. "So I got lucky. But isn't that why we're talking right now? Can we move on, please?"

"Fine," Kevin nodded. "But you need to prepare for the very worst, Schmidty. So, I ask you; what's the worst thing that can happen on the night watch?"

"Losing power," Mike answered quickly.

"Close, but no cigar," Kevin replied. "There's two ways you can lose power; Either Arella turns it off, or you run out completely. If Arella turns it off, you can easily turn it back on yourself. There's just a big "On/Off" button for that. Of course, you have to get back to the Office, but you'll have the power back. Running out completely, as in you waste it all, and even that's out of the question. So, running out of power is the worst that can happen. But you need to be ready for either, because, in either scenario, _**you're going to have to leave the Office**__._"

Mike couldn't hide the disbelief on his face as he stared at his "partner" with stunned eyes.

"You have to be kidding..."

"I'm not." Kevin shook his head. "If the power's out there's no safe little Office with its big metal doors to protect you anymore. There's only the darkness and _them_. And I'll tell you right now...you sitting in a chair and 'going limp' isn't gonna fool anyone."

Mike ran his fingers through his hair.

"Christ, man..." He said. "But they were at the doors! Bonnie and Chica! On either side!"

"I bet," Kevin nodded. "They've done that to me to. But that's okay, because I have an answer for that. I'm not going to teach you everything that I do, because that's my plan and I don't need you fucking it up. But I'll tell you the basics. Enough to get you started. And then you'll go home and make your own plan."

"Christ..." Mike said again. But he nodded. "Alright..."

"I know it's probably a bit overwhelming," Kevin said. Mike laughed a little at the choice of words, but the red head either didn't notice or care. "But don't worry...I'm gonna do you a favor."

"What's that?"

"You'll see." Kevin waved this away. "Just follow me."

The two of them stepped into the Office.

And then, the two big Doors dropped down.

…

Mr. Scott Cawthon, the new General Manager of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, stood under a lamp in the alley again, just as he had the night before.

He was nervous, to put it simply, very nervous. There was no guarantee that his night watch man was coming back in tonight. Both of them had come in today, and he had no idea why, and that also made him very nervous. They weren't suppose to be here during the day and he didn't like the fact that they had been. Had something happened? Had there been a problem? He had tried to find out, he had kept asking Mike, but he'd gotten nothing and that made him even more nervous. As the General Manager, he was supposed to be kept informed of these things and yet he wasn't and he didn't like it.

But even worse was the fact that Kevin had been right about something. The night watch was the most important job in the building, and it had to be done. And if nobody was here to do it, it would fall on his lap. He couldn't do that. He couldn't let them get to him. Not now...

A car door slammed and Cawthon turned his head towards it, pathetic hopefulness filling him.

Somebody turned around the corner.

Then, they stepped into the light of the street lamp.

"Hey, Scotty."

"Kevin?" Mr. Cawthon asked, surprised. "Where's Mr. Schmidt? I thought you only wanted..."

"I do." Kevin interrupted. "But, ya know, I could use a few more hours, Scotty. Plus, Mike's got some homework to do. Some that I gave him."

"Oh?" Scott asked, curious. "And...what was it, if you don't mind me asking..."

"I do mind you asking," Kevin replied, adjusting the strap of the large knapsack he carried.

"Well, why don't you tell me anyway?" Scott became stern again.

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

"How would you like to be written up for insubordination!" Scot snapped.

"Fine," Kevin shrugged. "The minute you do that, I'm quitting. I'll go right back home and your ass can watch those mutants."

"No," Scott shook his head. "I'll call Mike in. He's supposed to be here anyway."

"Yeah, I thought you might say that," Kevin replied, yawning. "I told him to not come in. Even if you call for whatever reason and ask him to. Somebody has to do the watch, Scotty. Can't let Freddy and the others wander about on their own. Who knows what they might do? That's not attention you want, is it?"

_No_, Mr. Cawthon thought, _I can't risk that. Not at all..._

Scott shook his head.

"Didn't think so," Kevin nodded. "So why don't you just run home and let me do my job of covering this hell hole's ass, huh? See you at 6AM."

Without another word, Kevin turned and entered the building. It was 11:45PM.

Scott Cawthon stood there, looking at the door as it swung shut.

Then, he went home.

…

After the Janitors were relieved Kevin checked his watch. 11:50PM.

He went into the Dining Area and stood in front of the Show Stage. For three minutes, he stood there watching them, not moving an inch.

Then...

"Let's all have a good night tonight, eh, Freddy?" He said.

Freddy Fazbear turned and looked at him. Then, Bonnie did. Lastly, Chica. Their eyes were already missing. Kevin looked each of them in their soulless eyes.

"Just know that I'll be watching as always. That goes for you too." He turned and met Foxy's eyes as the Pirate was leaning out of the Cove.

"Da da dum dum dum," The Pirate started.

"Oh, shut up," The red head said, picking up a party hat off the table and chucking it at him. The Pirate ducked back into the Cove. As the senior night guard walked towards the East Hall, he paused, and turned in the direction of the Arcade. He could just see Arella peeking around the corner for a split second before she reeled her head back behind the wall.

Kevin stood where he was for a moment, staring down the hall. Eventually, Arella poked her head out again. He heard her giggle. He could, theoretically, lock the Electrical Room's door, but he knew better. She was a robot, and if she wanted to get in, she'd get in. Probably would kick the damn door down if she had too. The Electrical Room's door wasn't as strong as the Office's Doors.

He looked at his watch. 11:55PM.

"Show time," He said aloud.

Kevin went down the East Hall.

And soon after, the Night Watch began.


	5. Message from the Author

I'm not dead

Minor spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 might reside in this message, proceed with caution

Hello, everyone.

I haven't forgotten this story.

I've been partially waiting for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 to come out for quite some time, mostly because I was hoping it would shine some light further into the back story of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

It did.

The night shift is going to get a little more interesting. Basically, I plan to incorporate some features from Five Nights at Freddy's 2 into the story. Not entirely the same way that they were presented in the game, though, mind you. And also, just so nobody is thinking it, no, the Toy Animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's 2 are not going to make an appearance. I'd have to rewrite the story in order for that to happen.

But the story will come back. I just need to find ways to fit in new elements from Five Nights at Freddy's 2 into what I had already planned. It actually fits together kind of well, surprisingly. But I might have to go back to some earlier chapters and edit some things. For example, Mr. Cawthon (in the story, not the real guy) says that Kevin, Mike, and the Phone Guy were the only guys who had managed to survive on the night shift for an extended period of time, and, with the introduction of Jeremy Fitzgerald, the guard in FNaF 2, that's no longer true. So, some things are gonna have to be reworked a little bit before the story can resume.

But, fear not.

We're still in business...

They're waiting.

Ever so patiently.

It's almost showtime, Schmidty...


End file.
